Winnipeg Jets top pick Mark Scheifele excited about first season with team –NHL offseason Update
Mark Scheifele made history in June during the 2011 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, as he became the first player in history to be picked by the newly created Winnipeg Jets after relocating the Atlanta Thrashers' franchise from the south.
Selected as the seventh overall by Winnipeg, the centre player for the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) is still as excited to be playing on a historic team, just as much as he was when first being picked up.
As excited as he might be, Scheifele knows that a spot on the team is not reserved for him, unless he can impress the management that it, something he plans on doing during next month’s training camp.
“I want to make the team”, Scheifele said. “I think I can. I know it’s going to be tough. I’m just going to work hard, and hopefully I can at least make an impression”.
It was during the year, 2009 that Scheifele was picked up during round-seven as the 134th overall by Saginaw Spirit in the OHL Priority selection, which is their own annual entry draft.
The following season, Scheifele found himself playing for the Kitchener Dutchmen Junior B team and added 55 points (18 goals, 37 assists) in 51 games played in total. His rights were traded to Barrie Colts by Spirit before the new 2010-2011 regular season
began.
Last season with Colts, Scheifele contributed 75 points (22 goals, 53 assists) in 66 games, a record which raised his status as the second highest scoring rookie in the league and finally led to him being drafted in the major league.
Even though the 18-year-old has not played a professional major league matchup as of yet, he has become very well known throughout a city which is thirsty for hockey matchups to start as soon as possible.
“I just walked to the washroom and, ‘Mark, can you come and take a picture with my son’ ”? Scheifele recalled. “I was like, ‘You guys already know me.’ I’ve never had that really happen before”.
Whatever the situation might be, Scheifele will eventually get the opportunity to prove himself in the NHL and hopefully make a place somewhere if not Winnipeg.
Tags: